The Cowboy and The Angel
by JuliaBeth
Summary: Jayne knows how to handle whores and fallen women, but how does one seduce a lady? Rated T for sexual innuendo and situations.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Set between the last episode of Firefly and the BDM.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

* * *

"_I prefer to channel my energies elsewhere," Book __said, keeping Jayne company on his night to cook for the crew._

"_Oh, you mean, masterbatin'." Jayne grinned, giving the older man a hard time. He didn't normally hold with churches and preachers, though he did believe in God, however, Book was different. He wasn't all sermons and eternal damnations over a little thieving and whoring, or if he was, he kept it to himself and went on being a regular, if somewhat reverent fellow. Jayne could respect that and who he could respect, he could like._

"_No, not even that," Book answered._

"_Gai si! They'd have to promise me a gorram Sainthood before I'd agree not ta' 'take up my plow'," Jayne declared, using the phrase that had become sort of a joke since Saffron's time on their ship. He noticed Crazy as she wondered through and looked at each of them as though she wasn't sure what they were and went on her way._

"_Saint Jayne," Book laughed. "I could see that. Seriously, though, haven't you ever been in a committed relationship with a woman? It's pretty much the same. I just made the commitment to God rather than a woman."_

"_No. I wouldn't make no commitment without at least a little farming other fields allowed, Shepard," he replied. "Besides, I ain't never met no woman who didn't want to me to change who I am. I ain't for all that till death do us part junk."_

_Book just smiled. "Someday, Jayne, someday you'll meet a woman you will want to change for."_

"_I ain't never changing." _

_Just then, all hell broke loose. Jayne never would figure out how his gun came to be laying on the cargo bay floor. Sometimes he would have sworn that girl really could move things with her mind._

* * *

6 weeks later.

Jayne stomped into his bunk, leaned Vera against the wall, then punched said wall and kicked the bed before falling into it.

Why her? Of all the women in the gorram universe, why did she have to be the one he wanted to change for?

Hell, he had already changed for her. A month ago, Jayne never would have dropped a weapon just keep some _hu tu de_ female from hurting herself. Why had she even climbed onto the gorram table for in the first place?

He had just been going into the kitchen to use the table to clean Vera when he saw the scatterbrained woman standing on her tip toes trying to reach a pot on a high shelf near the table. When she leaned too far and lost her balance, Jayne hadn't so much dropped Vera as he had thrown her, in his hasty to catch that _hu tu de_ woman.

Of course, he smiled despite himself, she had felt nice and small in his arms, and especially the way she had clung to his chest as she regained her bearings. And she smelled good too, not to mention that position gave him a more than alluring view of her nice, round, firm... He groaned tearing himself away from that line of thought.

Just as he was about to kiss those pretty little red lips, something he had been thinking about for weeks, that irritating, pasty faced whelp of a brother of hers, Zoe, Mal and Kaylee had walked in.

And by the way that gorram, sha, piece of gou shi had looked at him as he ripped her away from Jayne; one would have thought Jayne had been raping her right there on the kitchen table, instead of keeping her from seriously damaging herself. He should have just let her fall and break her pretty little teeth out. Then maybe everyone would have been happy.

Except, Jayne kinda liked her teeth where they were, in that pretty mouth with those little red lips that seemed to twist into smile whenever he came around, and was near those nice, firm…, His thoughts returning to that small, delicate creature clinging to him again. Yep. He was going to be using his own plow again tonight. He clicked off his lights and let his memory and imagination take over.

His one last thought as he drifted off was the he should have punched her gorram brother's teeth out and kissed her anyway. He would never have such a good moment to kiss her again.

* * *

A/N: Please read and review.

Translations to the best of my knowledge:

Gai Si = Shit!

Hu tu de = Stupid

Sha = soft headed

Gou Si = dog shit


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Set between the last episode of Firefly and the BDM.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

* * *

Shortly after the incident with the bounty hunter, Wash caught a wave and without even a discussion with the rest of the crew he turned and headed for his home planet. By the time Mal was up, he and Zoe had come up with a plan.

Wash couldn't leave her there, broken and bloody, begging her bubba to take her away from those hands that could be so kind and loving one minute and turn cruel and vengeful the next. They, along with Mal and unfortunately Jayne, would go get her. They had snuck someone into a hospital before; sneaking someone out had to be way easier.

Zoe had never met her little sister-in-law, Kala in person, before. She hadn't met any of Wash's family. His mother and he didn't see eye to eye very often and she had been livid when he had married 'that girl'. She had cut off all communication with him, save for a few late night waves from his _mei-mei_. He had told Zoe briefly of his family. It was the only subject he didn't like to discuss about himself. She did know, however, that he fiercely loved his little sister and having to leave her behind was his one regret from leaving home and a not insignificant amount of his pay went back to her, to keep her from falling into their mother's profession. It had been a great relief to him when she had sent him word that she was to marry. And not to man she met at the brothel where she worked as a cook. He was a good boy from a nice family and she had been nothing but shiny in her communications since then.

That's why the wave, done in secret with a sympathetic nurse's communicator, had been such a shock. His 22 year old sister had looked like a little girl, bundled up in that hospital bed bruises and bandages covering her pretty face and her long blonde hair red with blood in spots.

After Wash had told her he was on his way, she had asked their mother to bring her a mall bag of her things, to have at the hospital she said, to get up and about. A few dresses and necessities, her boots, her jewelry box the one she had, unbeknownst to mother, hidden her wages in, and finally, her cookbook. Her mother had balked at the last item until Kala had told her just wanted to work on writing down some of her newer creations. All in all, the only things of value she had in the universe fit in one small bag.

On Simon's advice, only Zoe had entered the hospital in her uniform from Ariel. Two or three porters escorting one patient around would look odd, but no one would bat an eye at one porter taking a patient down for treatment.

"Kala?" She asked, cautiously entering the room. It was in her head that there was a possibility this was a trap. Hence why Mal and Jayne had come along.

"Zoe." Kala hugged her sister-in-law she had only ever seen on Waves before. "We have to hurry. We have an hour before the nurse checks on me again."

She slipped into the wheelchair Zoe had picked up near the entrance. "Is Hoban with you?"

"Keeping the Mule running," Zoe answered. "Ready for a quick getaway." She guided the wheelchair through the halls to the back entrance. The men were with the mule a block away. At the door, she grabbed Kala's bag and helped her from the chair. The girl wasn't moving too fast and Zoe could see the movements pained her but she was determined to go.

"Hey!" A porter started towards them. "Where do you think you are going?! Patients are permitted out back."

"Ignore him," Zoe advised, "Just keep walking."

The man followed them, yelling louder.

"Run." Zoe said as he got closer. "As fast as you can."

It hurt like the devil. Kala had two broken ribs, a concussion, a broken arm, and a badly sprained ankle. She was glad the team wasn't any further away as she saw Wash and two other men, standing around an all-terrain vehicle fitted with four seats and a large platform.

"_Wangbadan_! I'll kill him!" Wash swore when he saw Kala. He hugged her tightly before Zoe interrupted as she threw Kala's bag on the back.

"No time. We were seen leaving. Get us out of here." she said. She helped Kala into one of the seats. "You can kill him later."

Before Kala could move, strong arms encircled her, fastening her in. She looked up at the large man and fear ran through her. He was tall and broad shouldered, with tattoos on his arms, a goatee, and muscles that even Braxton would be jealous of. He also had a very large gun slung over his right shoulder.

"Ready to go," he said as Wash took off. Jayne grabbed the frame for support and leveled Vera at the terrain behind them, in case the hospital porter had called in back up, but the getaway was way too easy for his liking.

As soon as the Mule was inside the Serenity, Wash took to the cockpit to get them in the air. He hated leaving Kala but he knew Zoe would take care of her and the more distance between them and the planet the better. Kidnapping the magistrate's future daughter-in-law wouldn't be looked upon too kindly.

Jayne jumped off the Mule and released Kala's seatbelt, lifting her, with more gentleness than anyone would have thought he possessed, on to the cargo bay floor. He hadn't liked the idea of that gorram _shuairen's_ sister being on board. The last thing they needed was more rescued family on the ship but at least this girl wasn't a wanted fugitive. His attitude, however, had softened when he had seen her limping toward the Mule, leaning heavily on Zoe. Just as it had toward River, when Simon had shown him what had been done to her when they were on Ariel. He didn't hold with hurting innocent things. Fair fights, sure, that was all in good fun, but intentionally hurting something weaker than you, on purpose, made his blood boil.

He looked at the girl again, taking in the various injuries, not liking what he saw. Wash had told them that her _gou si_ fiancé had beaten her up and she wanted to leave him, but Jayne hadn't been expecting this level of damage. His Pa had liked to get liquored up and beat up on his Ma and him, right up until Jayne was big enough to hit back. He had seen this same look on his poor Ma's face too many times in his life. It wasn't just the injuries, they would fade. It was the hopelessness.

"Wash is right," he said to no one in particular. "That _wanbadan_ needs his _minggen_ ripped off and fed to him."

Kala was staring at the floor, her face white with strain, but he thought he saw the ghost of a smile drift across her lips. She was a pretty thing, he thought. If you could get past the bruises.

"Later," Zoe replied to him as well. She wouldn't have worded it that way, but she didn't disagree with the general idea. Kala just need help first. "Let's get you to the infirmary, let the Doc check you over."

Mal had taken over for Wash in the cockpit, allowing him to go to the infirmary. Inara, Shepard, and Jayne were hanging around the door while Zoe was inside the room, holding onto Kala's hand as Simon examined her.

"Bubba," she smiled, reaching out for Wash.

He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "What happened, _Mei-mei_?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I just couldn't get it right," she said, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I just kept messing it up." She looked out the window and wiped her eyes, wanting to hide. This was a great first impression but Wash didn't seem to care as he hugged her.

"Shh," he said, rocking her gently. "It's okay. I'm here now. No one can hurt you when I'm around." It had been a promise he had made and often fought like hell to keep when they were younger. It wasn't safe for a girl child to grow up in a brothel.

"Alright, Kala, looks like what the doctors on planet told you was pretty accurate and I don't think your daring escape did any permanent damage," Simon said kindly. "However, I would like to keep you in here, at least for tonight, to monitor you. I'm going to give you a little something for the pain, is that okay?"

Kala nodded, still hiding her face in Wash's neck as the world spun sideways and went black. Wash laid her back on the bed and took the seat Zoe had spun over to him settling in to hold her hand through the night, until he was satisfied that she would be okay, then he would the son-of-a-bitch responsible.

* * *

Translations to the best of my knowledge. Sorry, if I get some wrong.

Gou Si = dog shit

_Wangbadan= Bastard_

_Shuairen= Jerk_

_Minggen= family jewels_

_Mei-mei= Little sister_


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing.

Please review!

* * *

Jayne was hiding. He was under table. He hated hiding under the table but the was no where else to go. It wasn't going to be a good day. Half the whiskey had been gone when he woke up. Normally he would take to the woods when that happened, but the rain had him trapped inside. Mother wouldn't let him go out in case he got sick. He flatten his back against the wall and tried to make himself as small as possible.

"IRENE!" His father's voice permeated the small shack. "Where is that gorram boy?"

"Out, I suppose," Irene Cobb answer mildly. "He was gone when I got up."

"You give that boy too many liberties," Mitchell Cobb snapped. "He ought to have enough respect to tell you when he's leaving. That stupid brat went out in this? He'll catch his death. I'm telling you right now if that idiot gets sick from bein' out in this weather, you ain't spending my good money on no gorram doctor!"

"Because beer is a much better thing to spend it on."

Jayne flinched at the unmistakable sound of a punch finding its mark. A few minutes later he heard his father's heavy boots stomp out and the front door slam. Slowly he crawled from under the table and went to his mother, sitting in her chair by the window. He wound his tiny arms around her neck. She had a fresh bruise blooming around her left eye.

Irene pulled her 6 year old son onto her lap as much as her pregnant belly would allow. The boy was already big for his age. He would be needing new britches soon if he kept growing at this rate. She didn't know where she would get the money for the material, but she would worry about that another day. She brushed his hair from his eyes and kissed his forehead.

Jayne touched her eye. She smiled sadly and took his hand. "I'm okay, Darling. Promise me something, Jayne."

"Ma'am?"

"Promise me you won't be like him. Promise you won't hit a woman, just because you can," she said.

"I promise, Mama..."

Jayne awoke with a start. He didn't like the memories having that girl on board was bringing back. He had kept that promise. At least to his mind he had. He hadn't ever hit a woman what hadn't hit him, shot at him, or otherwise tried to kill him first. Well, except for Reavers, but they weren't women, he wasn't even sure they were female, or human for that matter.

He tried in vain to get back to sleep, but bruised faces, busted lips, and sad eyes permeated his dreams.

* * *

Wash laid his head on the small gurney. Whatever Simon had given Kala had knocked her out. She hadn't made a sound in hours. He had sent Zoe on to bed earlier, saying there was no sense in both of them being tired and swearing that he would get some rest when he could. He knew she would have stayed right there beside him all night if he had wanted her to and that was enough.

This was one of those times he hated their jobs. Their gypsy lifestyle wasn't good for keeping up with family. If he had been around, it wouldn't have happened. He told himself he went to flight school to help her. To be able to take care of her and while he had done that, or at least told himself that money did that, he hadn't been back on that planet for more that a fortnight since getting his first job as a pilot.

A knock caused him to look up. He expected to see Zoe back to insist that go get some sleep, or Mal, since he figured he was still due a chewing out for not clearing the mission with the Captian before starting on it. Instead it was Inara.

"Wash, I'll stay with her, if you would like to get some sleep," she offered kindly. "I'm used to the odd hours."

He shook his head. "Thanks, but I..., just want to be here."

She nodded and stepped inside. "Mind if I keep you company, then?"

He shook his head again, even though he wasn't sure how much company he could be. He picked up Kala's hand, staring at the large diamond on her fourth finger. Nice family. Want for nothing. She loved him. Those had been the assurances she had told him when he questioned her marrying someone she had only met a few months before. Finally she had brought up the fact that he and Zoe had only been together four months before they got married. His claims that knowing her for 3 years prior negated that fact were silenced.

"For what it's worth, I know Braxton Thursdale. Well, I don't know him, I know of him. His reputation precedes him. He has a black mark on him in the clientele register," she said.

"What does that mean?" Wash asked. He had never had much interest in Companions. He liked Inara alright but he had never been interested in buy women for whatever reason you were buying them for. A hazard of growing up the way he did he always figured.

"It means he hurt a companion and from what I do know about it, she's lucky not to have married him," Inara replied. "She very lucky to have you to help her get away from him."

"Yeah, I've been great," he scoffed. "I thought.., I thought if I could just keep from being a whore, the rest would work itself out. Not that I have anything against people who are in that business," he added hastily, remember who he was talking to.

Inara smiled, sensing no malice in his words. Unlike Mal and Jayne and even once, Zoe, Wash had never called her a whore, at least not to her face. "It's okay, Wash, I tend to think there is a lot of difference between being a companion and just being a whore, despite what the Captian may think." She looked at the girl laying in front of her and said, "But a man doesn't have to pay for you to think he has a right to hurt you. Why did you think she would be a whore?"

He shrugged. "Most girls who grow up in brothels tend to take up that business." For some reason talking about this was easier with Inara than the others. Perhaps it was that Inara felt no shame about selling her body or for anyone else who did. To her it was just something that was part of the job. Zoe knew everything, of course. Well, she knew the facts. But no one else. He could only imagine Jayne glee if he found out wash was the bastard son of a whore.

"Did you...,"

He nodded. "Our mother, she worked at a brothel. I was born there. So was Kala. One day I came in the parlor and Kala was sitting in some man's lap and he was asking her the most awful questions. Then Madam Anna whispered something in his ear. I can imagine what it was because the man shoved Kala to the floor and jumped up sputtering 'no' and that he was 'just having fun'. Our mother just sat there watching as if it was the most natural thing. Kala was ten. She was ten and Madam Anna tried to sell her and no one there saw anything wrong with that." He shook his head a if to clear the memory. "I swore then and there that she would never have to do that as long as I was around to stop it."

Inara patted his arm. Companions weren't turned out to work until they were 18 and even then, they weren't bought for sex until they were 21. However, the scene he had just described was way too common in some of the brothels on the outer rim. "So is that why you kept your distance when we helped Nandi?"

He nodded, "I was happy to help, don't get me wrong, but I know what that boy's life will be like and while it will be better than with that creep father, it won't be an easy life." Then he flashed a grinned, "Well, that and being madly in love with and married to a woman who could kill me with her bare hands."

Inara laughed before settling into the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Set between the last episode of Firefly and the BDM.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

* * *

Kala awoke to see Wash asleep with his head on the bed, looking very uncomfortable. She reached out to stroke curly blonde hair nearly identical to her own in shade and texture.

"Good morning, _Gege_," she said.

He raised his head and looked at her. "Good morning."

"Looks like you've had a rough night," Kala said.

"Looks like you've had a rough week," he replied.

"You could say that," she said, letting her head fall back against the pillows. "What did that Doctor give me? The room is still all swirly."

"Well, just as long as you don't go crazy, then fall asleep, we're doing good," Wash cracked.

"What?"

"Never mind," Wash waved away the joke. "What happened, Mei-mei? I thought everything was shiny."

"It was. It was very shiny, until it wasn't. Then it was very not shiny," she said, looking at her hands.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only answer I have. I just, I just wasn't what he wanted, and I wouldn't want to be if I could," she said. "A whore's a whore, even if she goes by the title of wife, and if I wanted to spend my life as somebody's whore, Madame Anna pays a hell of a lot better," She dragged her eyes to his. "And that is all I want to say about it, Hoban."

He decided to let it go at the moment; her head was probably too shiny to give a straight answer anyway. However, he was determined he would find out what she meant by that remark.

"Wash, we need to talk," Mal strode into the infirmary.

"Now?"

"Now's as good as time as any," Mal said, trying to sound harsh. "You don't ever change the course of my spaceship without my permission. Unless, you know, you need to do it to save our lives. Or if the Alliance is on us, or Reavers, or whatever," he suddenly realized that if his pilot had to stop and get his permission every time before altering course, they could get in a lot of hot water. "Gorramit! Just don't start on any missions without including me and Zoe, got it?"

"Got it," Wash replied.

"Now, there is the matter of payment," Mal replied.

"Payment?"

"We don't do a job without getting paid for it," Mal said.

Wash grimaced. Their last paying job had been a while back and he wasn't exactly flush anymore. "What's the price?"

"I can pay, _Gege_," Kala said.

"No disrespect, ma'am," Mal said. "But you didn't hire us, Wash did." He turned to Wash. "What do you have on you?"

"You mean, like this minute?" Wash asked, rummaging through his pockets.

"Yes. Right now."

"Three platinums," he held out the coins.

"Great." Mal took the coins. "One for Serenity, one for me, and one for Jayne. You can settle your bill with Zoe yourself," he replied with a grin. "You two best be deciding what she wants to do next."

"So, that's your Captain?" Kala asked as Mal left.

Wash nodded.

"I didn't mean for you to get in trouble with your Capitan," she said.

"You didn't," he said. "Mal is just trying to pretend he's the big bad captain. If he hadn't wanted to help grab you, he wouldn't have."

"If he's the Captain, then who was the other man?"

"What?" Wash looked around, wondering if she wasn't still seeing things from the drugs.

"Yesterday, Bubba, I'm not seeing things," she replied, seeing him look around. "The other man with you yesterday, the one who helped me out of the ..., thing."

"Oh, I was confused because you said man. The word you're looking for is Neanderthal. That was Jayne," Wash replied.

"Jayne? That's a girl's name," she smiled.

"For God's sake don't tell him that, or he'll show you that he's not a girl."

"I think I'm going to sleep now," Kala smiled again closing her eyes, the drugs were still swirling her thoughts in a pleasant way. "You should do the same, _Gege_."

Three days later, Simon allowed her to take a room in the passenger's dorm.

* * *

That morning Shepard Book was awaken by a delicious smell, which was surprising because it was his day to cook. Not that he was complaining, this smelt better than even his breakfast hash and he was the best cook on the ship. He started towards the kitchen, but stopped when he saw Jayne standing just outside the doorway watching or rather listening.

"I'll fly away, fly away, oh darling, I'll fly away in the morning, when I die hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away." Floated from the stove area.

"Is that Miss Washburne?" Shepard asked. He was impressed.

Jayne nodded. He hadn't heard that song since he was a child. His mother used to sing it to him as a lullaby.

"I wonder what she's cooking," Shepard said. "It smells wonderful. And I didn't have to cook it."

Jayne nodded. "Better hush her up. If Mal hears her singing that, he'll kick her off the ship for good."

Shepard just clapped him on the shoulder and walked past him into the kitchen.

"Miss Washburne? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shepard Book."


End file.
